Michael Ashley author page

This puzzle gave me quite a few entertaining moments. First, the title is perfect — MOVIE DOUBLES hinting at the doubling of one letter in a movie title for kooky effect — and more importantly, Michael created some really funny themers. I particularly liked how AMERICAN SNIPER to AMERICAN SNIPPER flipped a serious image into a comedic one. A SHO(O)T IN THE DARK made me picture a poor photographer who keeps on getting told to just get the shot … even though there's no light. And HOMME ALONE turned a cutesy kid-flick into one with French subtitles. Very nice.

The only one that didn't do much for me was A STARR IS BORN, since I've seen lots of plays on STAR -> STARR. And it would have been nice for every movie be a blockbuster — HOT PURSUIT didn't get a very good critical reception or make much at the box office. Still, the visual of a crack squad staking out owls was pretty funny.

Michael did a nice job of adding in bonus fill, JOLTIN' JOE right above IRON AGE a standout for me. CRISIS MODE, GIANT SQUID, GALAHAD, and SOPHISM were great, too.

I wasn't as much a fan of ICE TRAY — isn't it usually ICE CUBE TRAY? — and SOB SISTER ... don't guys write sentimental features as well? There seems to be an outdated implication baked into the term that I don't care for.

I also noticed a good amount of crossword glue as I went, things like OJO (Spanish for "eye"), TIAS, AERO, AGS (attorney generals), PARAS, SSGTS, SSA, OSS. And the PEETA / EDOM might be a killer for some. Even though I loved the "Hunger Games" books, PEETA (one of Katniss's love interests) is a tough one for me to remember. It felt like quite a lot.

Overall though, I thought Michael did a remarkable job with really funny theme answers. That's no mean feat — most of the time I find kooky-themer Sunday puzzles not amusing enough. Because of that accomplishment, I might have tried for less sizzle in the fill in order to smooth out some of the rough spots. But I can respect the desire to work in great JOLTIN JOE-esque material.

Today brings us a grid based on the common four-quadrant design, which Michael extends by sticking in a pair of long entries in the middle. I like the efforts to go the extra mile. And entries like MOBILE APP and SEEN IT ALL are the types of debuts right up my alley. It took me a while to piece together that NW corner, but when I did, those two answers sparkled like nuggets of panned gold.

Why did it take me a while to finish that NW? One reason is how sectioned off it is from the rest of the puzzle. It does have two entries that can get you in: ESTATES and PYLES, but since I already knew PYLES was going to end in an S based on the clue, that really only left me one entry point. I did really like the clever clue for ESTATES; I just wish I had had an additional shot to break into that corner, as I couldn't see ESTATES for the longest time.

I didn't know there was more than one PYLE, and I found it amusing to read about Gomer Pyle and Goober Pyle. There's something so comforting about the simplicity of old-timey sitcom characters.

Joel Fagliano's comment from a week ago help solidify some thoughts I'd been mulling over. I'm sure there are die-hard RITA MORENO and ALAN MOORE fans out there, but I so much more enjoy uncovering entries like STRUCK DUMB and SOLO SHOTS, as the latter two give me personally so much more satisfaction. It's tricky — full names can make for beautiful feature entries. But I personally like to see only one (or maybe two if they're very well-known) such proper name feature entries in any given themeless, especially considering short fill will often require a lot of propers. When a solver hits a lot of "you either know it or you don't" entries like DIRAC, BRODY, WAITE, AMAHL, PYLES, ERIS, GAEL, etc. it has the potential to reduce overall satisfaction.

And while I like the clue echo of I AM AMERICA and THE KINGDOM both being from 2007, those do lend the puzzle a slightly outdated vibe. I remembered I AM AMERICA after getting a few crossings, but I wonder if it will be a classic. I haven't heard of THE KINGDOM, and after reading up on it, it still doesn't seem crossworthy, especially for a prime real estate location in a themeless.

All in all, a very tough workout today, especially given my high level of ignorance of most things pop-culture. Some beautiful clues; a huge smile to my face for a great one, [Was ducky?], cleverly hinting at WADDLED. And saving the very best for last, TESS has such crossword-friendly letters as well as inquisitive, hard-working, uber-strong, thoughtful, ambitious, creative, considerate (and dirty-rotten-stinker-who-keeps-her-new-parents-on-the-brink-of-fall-down-exhaustion) connotations. I have a very good feeling about that name. Except for the stinker bits.

NASCAR ROCKS is a clever title, pointing to the theme of "rock songs punned upon to get NASCAR-related entries." Extremely tough for this non-pop-savvy, non-NASCAR watching crossword solver. Of the five song lyrics punned on, I knew BREAK ON THROUGH and (what I was positive was) DON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN. Poor George Bernard SHAD. That name seemed awfully fishy. (groan)

Speaking of groans, puns are tough to execute well. Today Michael gives us a mixture of perfect homonyms (BREAK/BRAKE), slight changes (FOOLED/FUELED), and outright changes (VIDA/VEHICLE). As a constructor who's never had a pun theme accept in any venue, it's hard for me to say what works and what doesn't. At one ACPT, I hung out with Merl Reagle as he threw out puns, and it seems like the pinnacle of punnery is to elicit a groan. I KISSED A GRILLE = groan for sure! I think? I wasn't even sure if Michael's "hit on your hands" comment was a pun, so I left it alone even though I didn't get it.

Sunday puzzles average about seven themers, so today's five stands out as low. They are all relatively long, so that helps make up for the small quantity. And at 136 words, this qualifies as part of Will's experiment with fewer themers and more long fill. Sure enough, Michael gives us some really nice fill, like ANIMAL HOUSE and SCOUT MOTTO and WAGNERIANS (surely Jim's favorite, as he's a huge fan of the Ring Cycle). Even one-worders like DOGGEREL are well-chosen, a fun word I only vaguely knew before.

The 136 word Sunday puzzle is so difficult to execute on. With so much long fill required, Michael places some of it in the across direction. And as much as I kept reminding myself that ANIMAL HOUSE, CASTS A SPELL, etc. were not part of the theme, I kept asking myself how CITIZEN KANE related to NASCAR. CITIZEN Kasey KAHNE, perhaps? That's the danger of running such long pieces of fill in the across direction.

Additionally, it felt like half of the long fill was more neutral than positive. SPOTLESS, DOCILITY, STAGNANT… those are all fine words, just not ones I would personally put a check mark next to. If the puzzle must depend on non-theme fill, so much of that must sing.

All in all, an interesting instance within Will's running experiment. Even if there had been more snazzy long fill, I think I would have still preferred a little more theme. But it's great to see the boundaries pushed.

Strong puzzle today, expertly created. Because of the extra crossings that must be accounted for, stacks of 10s are generally harder than stacks of 9s which are generally harder than stacks of 8s. Today's 10s are all so well done. Very nice long answers with clean crossings. At first I scratched my head about ENID BLYTON, but a quick Google later, I sheepishly admitted to my own ignorance. For me, a (hopeful) writer of children's books, to not know a children's book author who sold more than 600 million books is a travesty. I'll have to add some of her works to my gigantic to-be-read pile.

Not only does Michael use four sets of triple-stacked 10s, but he intersects two of them with BRIEF ENCOUNTERS across the middle. I find that when constructing triple-stacked 10s, I need to keep the constraints low in order to keep ugliness out of my grid. To start off with the heavy constraint of a grid-spanner intersecting two stacks is daunting. And the fact that he pulled it off is impressive.

Note that the two marquee answers, BUTT DIALED (awesome clue!) and SMART PILLS are in the two corners that don't have the grid-spanner running through. There's a reason for that: it's so much easier to tackle a stack of 10s when there are fewer constraints that limit your options.

There are a few weaker areas in the fill, notably in the SW corner. In a themed puzzle, having RETD/DYS/SSNS/OLY wouldn't make me more than shrug, but for a themeless, it's a bit of an eyesore in an otherwise super-clean puzzle. Not to say that a puzzle should be judged by its weakest entries, but as I was solving the very SW corner did feel like it wasn't up to par with the rest of the puzzle.

Nice mental workout today. And I love the "clue echo" of "They use blue books" for two of the 10s. Elegantly done.